Stamp.



G. E. PERRY.

STAMP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1909.

Patented June 23, 1914,

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G. E. PERRY.

STAMP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 1909.

Patented June 23, 1914.

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STAMP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 1909.

1,100,773. Patented June 23,1914,

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wwwa 1706/ Z" m/MY L mw 1M COLUMBIA PLANOOIAPH CO" WASHINGTON, D. C.

GEORGE ELLIOT PERRY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. February 5, 1909.

Patented June 23, 1914. Serial No. 476,194.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonon ELLIOT PERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in stamps, and more particularly to improvements in numbering machines although some of the features herein are applicable to any form of stamp employing rotatable characacter wheels.

In general, salient objects of my invention are to provide a numbering machine of simple and effective construction and parts, (some of which are well adapted for other forms of stamps) which are throughout easy of manufacture, cheap and readily assembled.

More specifically an object of my invention is to provide simple and efiectivemechanism for translating a downward movement of a movable frame which carries character wheels into an oscillating movement of pawl carriage within the frame, and otherwise to improve the operating mechanism for imparting movement to the character wheels.

Another object of my invention is to provide a character wheel of novel and advantageous construction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel means for obtaining a drop cipher effect, that is to say, an arrange ment such that the ciphers will make no impression in advance on the reading line of the first impression digit, but will make the proper impression as parts of any number. find a yet further object of my invention is to provide a simple and improved mechanism for causing the stamp to duplicate or triplicate each impression.

Other and further objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein have shown a simple embodiment of my invention and wherein; s

Figure 1 is an end View with parts in section of a numbering machine; Fig. 2 is a front view thereof with the casing in section; Fig. 3 is a detail of the inking pad support and spring; Fig. 4: is an enlarged central, longitudinal section through the numbering part; Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective detail of the live pawl mechanisms and repeating pawls; Fig. 6 is a detail of a repeating pawl; F ig. 7 is a detail of a repeating-pawl latch; F 8 is a detail of the pawl shaft; Fig. .9 is a perspective detail with separated parts of a portion of the pawl-carriage moving mechanism; Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail of a number w'heel; Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the same in association with the actuating and holding pawls; Fig. 12 is a detail of the triplicatiiig ratchet and pawl; Fig. 13 is a similar detail of the duplicating ratchet and pawl, showing its relation to a character impression wheel; and, Fig. 14 is a side elevation of a character impression wheel on the opposite face of that shown in Fig. 11.

In the specific construction shown in the drawings the casing 20, which is open at its bottom and has a full-length rear opening 21 and, if desired a narrow front opening 21, carries upon its top a hollow post 22 in which slides a tube 23 hearing at its upper end a handle 24; the tube 23 being held against rotation by a pin 25, fixed in the post- 22,

passing through an elongated slot in the tube. The pin 25 may also serve as an abutment for a main spring 26, the upper end of which bears against the handle 24 so that the tube and handle are normally maintained at their uppermost limits of movement.

The tube 23 carries on its lower end a yoke-shaped frame 27, which may be of sheet metal, hearing at its lower front corners anti=friction rollers 28 which engage the front wall of the casing on opposite sides of the aperture 21, and adjacent its rear edges is provided with rollers 29 for communicating motion to an inking pad. The ink pad 30. is of any suitable construction to provide a central inking surface and side bearing strips 31 (see Fig. 2) to receive the rollers 29, and is provided with upturned ears 32 pivotally mounted on a shaft 33 fixed in the ends of the casing adjacent the upper part of aperture 21. A suitable spring 33' see Fig. normally holds the ink pad in raisedposition where its guide rails 31 coact with the rollers 29 of the raised frame 27, but as the handle 24 is depressed the rollers 29 force the inking pad out of the path of the impression parts carried by the frame 27, to a position as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The shaft 33 carries adjacent each end of the casing a cam plate 34 which constitutes a means for imparting oscillating movement 7 to parts within the frame 27 during the vertical reciprocation of said frame, and to this end is provided with a suitable curved cam slot 35 in which engages a correspondingly curved boss 36 projecting from a head 36 which stands interposed between the cam 35 and frame 27, said head being mounted for rotation on the main shaft 37 extending through and projecting beyond the frame 27 to afford support to the various character wheels and to the live pawl carriage. The pawl carriage shown comprises a pair of arms 38, 38 respectively arranged at what I will term the left and right ends of the frame, connected by a bar or shaft 89, and the carriage may conveniently be connected for movement by the head 36 by pins 40 uniting the heads 86 and arms 38, and passing through arcuate slots 41 in the end members of the frame 27.

The character wheels are of peculiar and advantageous construction. Each number character impression wheel, generally indi cated by numeral 42, is shown in Fig. 10, formed of a single sheet of metal contorted to provide a radial supporting portion 43 and a cylindrical rim portion 44, said rim portion bearing external integral characters 45 suitable to make desired character impressions. These characters may conveniently be drawn, or otherwise formed by forcing metal of the rim of the wheel into a convenient die so that the impression forming character 45 is integral with the rim.

Each of the wheels 42, has associated therewith a ratchet tooth structure which may be in the form of a separate ratchet wheel 46, provided with teeth similar in number and efiect-ive arrangement to the character arrangement upon the impression wheel. Each of the ratchets 4G is generally in the form of a disk with a series of projecting teeth equal to the number of impression characters on the wheel, and provided with one relatively deep notch as at 47 in Fig. 11..

Hubs of the wheels 42 may be made integral therewith, or as illustrated in the drawings, as separate, attached pieces, each hub 48 as shown (see Fig. 4) bearing a short section of tubing reduced at one end to form a shoulder against which the edge of a central orifice 49 of the disk or radial portion 43 of the wheel may bear, the reduced portion taking through the aperture 49 and the central orifice in the ratchet 46, and upset as at 49 (see Fig. 4) for secure attachment to its wheel and ratchet.

As many wheels may be provided as is deemed desirable, shown at 42, 42", etc, the construction shown providing siX wheels for numbering to a million. The wheels are set side by side on their shaft, and may he set very close together, as the hollow center of each wheel enables any projecting parts on the face of the adjoining wheels to take into the hollowed or cup portion thereof, so that only sufficient space need be provided be tween the rims of the wheel to admit very thin pawls. For duplicate and triplicate work the two additional ratchets 50 and 51 may be loosely mounted on the shaft 37, as shown at the right end of the frame in Fig. 4, said ratchets having no wheels connected therewith and being preferably larger in diameter than the ratchet 46. Each of the ratchets 50 and 51 has a number of teeth thereon preferably equal to the teeth of the ratchet 46, and the ratchet 50 has therein a notch 47 at every second tooth while the ratchet 51 has a deep notch 47 every third tooth.

The live or actuating pawls carried by the pawl-carriage 38 are preferably all formed as part of a unitary structure In the specific construction shown 53 indicates a sleeve slipped on the shaft 39, having a reduced portion 53 at one end, and longitudinal slots 54 therein adjacent both its ends. The pawl comb structure consists of a plate 56 of sheet metal having its ends bent at right angles as at 57, 57 to embrace the ends of the enlarged portion 53, said plate on one side having a projecting handle 58 and downturned edge portions 59 extending into the slot 54 of the sleeve, so that the structure is adequately secured to the sleeve. The pawl teeth 60 and 60 for coaction with the ratchets 42 and 42 may conveniently be prolongations of the end members 57, 57, and the intervening teeth or pawls 60, etc., may conveniently be fingers of suitable length projecting from the edge of the plate 56 and downturned sharply, said teeth being given a twist as at 61 (Fig. 5) so that their terminal. presentation is edgewise. Thus the pawl comb as an entity is a cheap construction whereof the entire set of teeth may be made of sheet metal stamping, and affording in its complete form teeth which are thin but of considerable strength. The teeth from GO to (l0 are progressively shorter in effective length so that when one is bearing upon the pcriphery of its ratchet the next pawl does not effectively engage its ratchet, and in general it will be understood that as the pawl carriage is oscillated, the pawl or pawls engaging their ratchets will move the corresponding wheels forward. Further the tooth 60 has its under edge 60 shaped to act as a return cam for elevating the comb on the reach movement of the carriage after one or more pawls have dropped into the deep notches 47 of their ratchets. A suitable spring 61, engaging the carriage arm 38 and pawl-member 57 presses the pawl-comb inward.

The pawls for the duplicate and triplicate ratchets 50 and 51 are arranged to be independently thrown into or out of operation, and to this end I provide a construction as follows: Upon the reduced end 53 of the sleeve 53 I slip a spring 62 then a pawl 63, an annular latch member 64 a second pawl 65 and then rivet on a washer 66, which contacts with the arm 38 of the carriage. The two pawls 63 and 65 have suitably shaped noses 65 for engagement with the respective ratchets 50 and 51 and have oppositeside recesses to receive the latch member 64 which is held against rotation relative to the sleeve 53 by a key 64! extending into the slot 54: in the sleeve. The latch member 64: has on each side face diametrical notches 67, 67, and each pawl has a diametrical projecting rib 68 for engagement in either of the corresponding notches 67, 67. When either pawl has its rib 68 engaging in the notch 67 on its side of the latch member 64:, it is positioned to engage its ratchet and holds all of the pawls 60 out of engagement with their ratchets until the nose 65 of such adjustable repeat pawl drops into a deep notch of its ratchet. The holding or dead pawls 80, whereof there are a number equal to the number of ratchets 46 are mounted upon a suitable shaft 81 extending from end to end of the frame 27, and are pressed toward their respective ratchets by independent springs 82, bearing on a brace rod 83, extending lengthwise of the frame. The dead pawl and ratchet constructions shown are peculiar in their coaction to obtain the drop cipher effect without addition of parts. Each character wheel is divided into twenty one peripheral units, and

" from 1 to 0 the digits are spaced two units apart, the extra unit occurring between the 0 and the 1. On the ratchets the tooth arrangement corresponds. The general arrangement of actuating and holding pawls and ratchets is such that the live pawl always reaches three units, so that it is capable of throwing the ratchet to move its wheel from O to 1, and will, as to the other numbers overreaoh one unit on each oscillation, while the dead pawl must be capable of receiving teeth in any position to which they may be brought by this varying operation, and also to hold the ratchet to position the middle of the three-unit space between 0 and 1 in the printing line. To this end each holding pawl has a contact surface of three units, to span from the rear side of an ordinary tooth, across a two unit space, and half way to a second tooth, as shown in Fig. 11, the surface of the pawl having notches 84", 84 and 84 therein, respectively one, one and a half, and two units distant from its nose 8%.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Normally the parts stand as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, with the springs 26 maintaining the handle and frame and associated parts raised, and the spring 33 holding the inking pad up so that it contacts with such of the characters on the character wheels as are presented in print ing position. Under such conditions also, the cam 34 is raised and the pawl carriage is at its foremost limit of movement. As now the handle 24 is depressed the rollers on the frame press the printing pad out to dotted line position, as shown in Fig. 1, the rollers 28 taking up the forward thrust against the frame occasioned by the resistance of the spring 33 to such movement. The depression of the frame likewise forces the earns 34 downward, and by reason of the configuration of the cam slots the downward movement of the cams causes the heads 36 and consequently the pawl carriage, connected with said heads by the pins 4:0, to be rotated through a reach of approximately one seventh of a revolution. The pawls, spring pressed inward, will en gage one or more of the ratchets for movement on the return working stroke, but this does not transpire until the return movement of the frame to upper position, so that the number which has been inked by the ink pad is printed at the end of the down stroke of the handle and on the return stroke to initial position one or more of the operating pawl or pawls will move one or more of the ratchets, and the movements of the character wheels thus occur before the parts are completely restored to the position shown in Fig. 1. Assuming both repeating pawls to be disabled the operation of the ratchet system for the character wheels will be as follows; As sent out from the factory the unit wheel 42 will be set to print the figure 1, that is to say it will stand three units, or one seventh of its circumference, in advance of the position in which the character wheel is shown in Fig. 11, so that the tooth lettered W will stand in front of nose 8? and tooth X in engagement with notch 84 of the holding pawl 80. In such posi tion of the ratchet pawl member G0 rests in rear of the tooth Y, all the other character wheel pawls being lifted out of en gagement with their ratchets by reason of the greater length of the pawl member 60 Accordingly on the first reach of the pawlcomb through a three unit arc, the pawl 60 will pass one unit behind the tooth Z and on the return stroke slide forward until it meets said tooth, and then advance the ratchet two units. Thus the tooth X will be moved from engagement with the notch 84c into engagement with the nose 8%, and tooth Y brought into the position which, in Fig. 11, is occupied by tooth W. The next cycle of operation of the pawl-comb resulting in a two unit movement of the ratchet, brings the tooth Y into the notch S P and tooth Z into the position occupied by tooth W in Fig. 11. The succeeding teeth continue to occupy this relation throughout the entire range of movement until the digit 9 is printed. On the back reach after printing the digit 9 the pawl (it) falls into the deep recess 47 of its ratchet, to such extent as is permitted by the ratchet of the next or tens wheel. On the forward stroke, therefore, the pawl-comb not only moves the unit wheel from 9 to 0 but moves the tens wheel in a manner to be described. This movement of the units wheel, bringing the parts to position shown in Fig. 11, is followed by the usual three unit movement of the pawl which is suiiicient to bridge the three-unit gap between teeth X and Y, so advancing the tooth \V to position immediately in front of the nose S P of the holding pawl, (which the initial position described,)

and thereby positioning the parts for another cycle of operation the counterpart of that above described. In this oscillation following the advancement of the tens wheel the broad tooth 60 acts to lift the pawl-comb out of its depressed position, due to the pawl entering the deep notch of the ratchet, so disabling all pawls beyond the units pawl by preventing them from engaging their ratchets. All of the other character wheels, however, are positioned initially with the tooth corresponding with tooth EV of Fig. 11, in engagement with the central notch 842C of the holding pawl 80, so that said character wheels are positioned with the broad space between the O and 1 characters presented in the printing line and, therefore, they may make no impression or drop the cipher. In such position of the ratchets the tooth Y of each of the ratchets for the tens, hundreds and other wheels, will stand just in the middle of are described by their pawl teeth in their idle movements, (while the units pawl tooth 60 alone is working,) the back reach of the pawls being insufiicient to bring them as far as the tooth Z of any such ratchet so posi tioned to drop the cipher. Consequently, when the units pawl ('30 reaching to move the character wheel from 9 to O drops into the deep notch 4-7, the pawl tooth 60 for the tens wheel a2 contacts with its ratchet between the teeth Y and Z, and on the working stroke, after one-and-a-half units of lost motion, it utilizes the other oneand-a-half units of its movement in advancing tooth Y, which brings the tens numeral 1 into printing position. It will be remembered that the position thus ass sumed by the tens ratchet with the toot-h Y occupying the position wherein tooth X is shown in Fig. 11, is identical with the starting position of the units ratchet, and consequently throughout all further operations of the tens ratchet it follows the same cycle as that above described in connection with the units ratchet. The cycle of operations of all further wheels-hundreds thousands etc., is identical with that of the tens wheel.

In brief resume it may be stated, that the space between the 0 and the 1 characters, and between the ratchet teeth corresponding therewith, is greater than the normal space between the other characters, and the teeth corresponding therewith; that the reach of the pawl-comb is equal to such maximum tooth space, but is less than two normal tooth-spaces, and that the holding pawls are adapted to hold their ratchets in any position to which they may be brought by this permutation of movements, and likewise to retain the ratchets initially mid *ay of the longest, or three unit, space, to drop the ciphers from the printing line. The repeating devices may be considered as idlerratchets, with regularly spaced teeth, and notches at desired intervals, operable by pawls adjustable to active or inactive position, and so positioned that when active they normally lift the pawl-comb for the character wheels to disabled position.

Having described my invention, what I claim is;

1. In a numbering machine, a relatively stationary structure, a frame movable therein, a movable cam connected with the stationary structure, character wheels mounted in the frame, and means of connection between said character wheels and the cam, whereby said wheels may be rotated by cam movement resulting from reciprocation of the frame.

2. In a numbering machine, a relatively stationary structure, a vertically movable fame therein, character wheels in the frame, means for advancing said character wheels including a movable carriage, and a cam ro tatably connected with the stationary structure, cooperating with said carriage to cause its movements during movements of the frame.

8. In a numbering machine, a relatively stationary structure, a frame vertically movable therein, character wheels within the frame, ratchets therefor, pawls for advancing said ratchets, a carriage for said pawls mounted for oscillation, a. guiding 'am pivoted on the stationary structure, and a sin gle connection between. the pawl carriage and the cam whereby the cam is moved and in turn oscillates the pawl carriage, during reciprocation of the frame.

4;. In a numbering machine, a relatively stationary structure, a frame vertically movable therein, a handle for moving said frame, character wheels in the frame, provided with ratchets, pawls for said ratchets, a car riage for said pawls mounted for oscillation concentrically with the character wheels, a cam pivotally mounted on the stationary structure, provided with a curved cam slot, a head mounted on the exterior of the frame for oscillation, provided with a part engaging the cam slot and forming the only connection between the vertically movable structure and the cam, said head being connected with the pawl carriage to oscillate said carriage as the head is oscillated by the cam slot in the movement of the frame with re spect to the pivotal point of the cam.

5. In a stamp, a casing, a vertically movable frame therein, printing surfaces for movement with the frame, an inking pad for said printing surfaces arranged when out of contact therewith to exert lateral pressure upon the frame, roller-means upon one side of the frame for receiving said pressure, and roller-means upon the opposite side of the frame associated with the casing wall to prevent lateral movement of the frame toward said wall.

6. In a stamp, a casing, a vertically movable frame therein, impression surfaces on the frame presented at its lower face, an inking pad pivoted in the casing to one side of the frame, a spring pressing said inking pad upward into contact with said impression surfaces when the frame is raised, and laterally toward the frame when the frame is depressed, rollers carried by the frame acting on the inking pad to move it out of the path of the frame during the descent of the latter, and anti-friction means between the opposite side of the frame and the casing to take the lateral thrust of the frame occasioned by the pressure of the pad-spring.

7. In a device of the character described, a shaft, a plurality of character wheels formed of sheet metal shaped to provide a character rim and an integral radial sup port connected thereto at one edge to leave the space within each wheel open toward the opposite edge, and within said space, said wheels being axially perforated to receive spacing means, means to position said wheels upon the shaft with their character rims in proper spaced relation for access to each of the spaces between wheels, and means to effect rotation of the wheels in proper sequence including a plurality of members extending between character rims and working in said spaces between wheels.

8. In a device of the character described, a shaft, a plurality of character wheels thereon, each formed of sheet metal shaped to provide a character-bearing rim and an integral. radial support connected to the rim one edge to leave the space within the wheel open toward the opposite edge, said rims being separated for access to said spaces, a ratchet connected to the radial sup port of each wheel toward the open side of the adjacent wheel, and pawls for cooperation with said ratchets extending through separated rims.

9. In a device of the character described, a shaft, a plurality of character wheels thereon, each formed of sheet metal shaped to provide a character-bearing rim and an integral radial support connected thereto at one edge to leave the space within the wheel open toward the opposite edge, a hub for each wheel engaged by the radial support thereof, adjacent hubs coacting at their ends properly to space the wheels upon the shaft for independent movement, a ratchet upon each hub lying on that side of the radial support which is toward the open side of the adjacent wheel, and a like plurality of appropriately shaped pawls extending between the narrow space between the character rims into the open spaces within the wheels for engagement with said ratchets.

10. In a numbering machine, a character wheel having some of its numbers spaced apart a normal distance, and others spaced apart a maximum longer distance, a ratchet having correspondingly spaced teeth, a pawl for moving said ratchet, means for oscillating said pawl with respect to the ratchet through a range corresponding with said maximum distance between pawl teeth, and means for holding the wheel with the said maximum space between two of its characters in the printing line so that said wheel may not print.

11. In a numbering machine, a character Wheel, having characters equally spaced apart, except two spaced apart a maximum greater distance, a corresponding ratchet, having two of its teeth spaced apart a maximum distance corresponding with the maximum distance between the two numbers of the character wheel, an oscillating pawl for moving the ratchet, means for moving said pawl through a range corresponding with the said maximum space between the teeth of the ratchet, and a holding pawl arranged to hold said ratchet to position any character, or the said maximum space between two characters of the wheel on the printing line.

12. In a numbering machine, a number wheel, a ratchet therefor, a repeating ratchet coaxial therewith, a pawl carriage, a pawl for the number wheel ratchet, a repeating pawl, a shaft therefor, and latching connections between. said repeating pawl and number wheel pawl comprising an annulus on the shaft effecting lateral notchand tooth engagement with the repeating pawl, and a spring for maintaining said engagement.

1.3, In a numbering machine, a series of number wheels, a shaft therefor, ratchets for the number wheels, a repeating ratchet, a pawl carriage mounted for oscillation coaxially with the wheels, a pawl comb in said carriage having an extension toward the repeating ratchet, said pawl comb providing pawls for association with the respective number wheel ratchets, a latching part coaxially positioned on the pawl comb extension, nonrotatable with respect to the comb, a repeating pawl on said extension rotatable with respect thereto, and cooperating with the latching means for retentionin different positions of rotary adjustment, one of said partsthe pawl or latch-being longitudinally movable on the pawl comb extension, and a spring yieldingly holding said parts in latching engagement.

14. In a numbering machine, number wheels, ratchets therefor, a plurality of repeating ratchets, a pawl comb providing pawls for association with the number wheel ratchets, having an extension toward the repeating ratchets, means for suitably moving said pawl comb, a longitudinally movable,

nonrotatable latching part on said extension,

repeating pawls on opposite sides of said latching part rotarily adjustable on the extension and adapted for cooperation with the latching part to be retained in operative or inoperative position as adjusted and to be functionally moved with the pawl comb, and a spring for yieldingly maintaining the repeating pawls and latching part in latching relation.

15. In a device of the character described, the combination with a shaft and a plurality of sheet metal character wheels thereon, each formed to provide a characterbearing rim and an integral radial support connected to the rim at one edge to leave the space within the wheel open toward the opposite edge, a ratchet connected to the radial support of each wheel toward the open side of the adjacent wheels, and a pawl comb of sheet metal having a plurality of pawls each twisted to lie in the plane of its path of operative movement for strength and for inclusion thereof in the narrow space between the character rims for engagement with the respective ratchets in the open space radially within the rims.

16. In a numbering machine, a shaft, a plurality of character wheels mounted thereon to leave a space therebctwcen substantially equal in width to the thickness of a sheet metal pawl and a sheet metal pawl comb providing a body oscillatable on an axis parallel to the shaft and a plurality of integral pawls extending from its front edge, said pawls being twisted about their longitudinal axes through approximately 90 degrees and bent downward to lie in planes at right angles to the shaft to work between said character wheels.

17. In a numbering machine, a shaft, a plurality of character wheels mounted thereon to leave a space therebetween substantially equal in width to the thickness of a sheet metal pawl and a sheet metal pawl comb having a body portion lying in a plane, and oscillatable on an axis, parallel to the shaft, and a plurality of pawls bent downwardly from its front edge at an angle to the body portion and twisted at right angles about their longitudinal axes to work in the planes in which they lie, said pawls being spaced to work in the spaces between said character wheels.

18. In a numbering machine, character wheels and their ratchets, and a pawl comb structure for association with the ratchets, comprising a. sleeve, longitudinally slotted and reduced at its ends, a pawl comb formed of a single piece of sheet metal providing a planar portion, an inturned edge portion engaging the slot in the sleeve, downturned end portions engaging the reduced portions of the sleeve, and pawl fingers projecting from the planar portion.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE ELLIOT PER-RY.

In the presence of-- Foinin BAIN, MARY F. ALLnN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

